Cancers are the most dreaded of all diseases because of the serious and often fatal implications they are associated with. Americans afflicted with cancers of all sorts number over 11 million. Did you know that there are over two hundred types of cancer that the medical world has identified? Many of these are very rare, though. You should know and be wary of the most commonly diagnosed types of cancer affecting many people in the United States each year.

Nonmelanoma skin cancer. There are over 1 million people diagnosed with nonmelanoma skin cancer annually. It is ranked sixth and seventh the most common cancer type in men and women, respectively. This prevalent type of cancer can be best prevented by regularly applying sunscreen with a SPF or sun protection factor of 15 or above. Doing this until you are eighteen years old will reduce the incidence of nonmelanoma skin cancer in your lifetime by 78%. The good news about this type of cancer is that there is better than 95% rate of being cured when it is detected early and treated accordingly.

Lung cancer. There are an estimated 0.22 million cases of lung cancer every year. Lung cancer causes damages to the cells that line your lungs. It is the leading cancer type in terms of cancer deaths for both men and women in America yearly. Cigarette smoking and inhalation of second-hand smoke are the leading causes of lung cancer.

Breast cancer. Close to 200,000 women are affected by breast cancer each year. It is the most prevalent type of cancer among women. Men do get breast cancer also, although the number of incidents per year – about 2,000 cases – is much, much lower compared to that for women.

Prostate cancer. Over 192,000 prostate cancer cases are diagnosed every year. Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer affecting men. Most of those with this condition are men who are past 50 years. Hormonal changes with men’s aging cause this condition to develop.

Colon and rectal (colorectal) cancer. More than 146,000 cases of cancers of the colon and rectum combined occur every year. The cecum, colons, and rectum are part of the large intestine, which is responsible for the break down and digestion of food.

Bladder cancer. More than 70,000 people are diagnosed with cancer of the bladder each year. In this type of cancer, the cancer cells develop within the bladder tissues. Transitional cell carcinoma is most common type of bladder cancer.

Melanoma. Each year, more than 68,000 people get afflicted with melanoma, a type of skin cancer. It develops in the melanocyte cells of the skin, which are responsible for producing melanin, the brown pigment. Melanoma usually begins to form in moles of people who have a lot of skin pigment. Melanoma is not only found in skin but in other parts of the body that are pigmented, such as intestines or the eyes.

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. About 66,000 people suffer from this type of blood cancer. Lymphoma is a term for a group of cancers involving the lymphocytes or white blood cells. Its symptoms are swollen lymph nodes, weight loss and fevers. There a number of different types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and people of all ages can have this cancer.
Kidney cancer. Close to 50,000 people can have cancer of the kidney each year. The kidneys’ extract waste from the blood and excretion it out as urine. The cancer develops inside the kidney, in the tissues or ducts. Kidney cancer mainly affects people aged over 40 years although a particular kidney tumor type commonly develops in young children.

Leukemia. About 45,000 cases of leukemia are diagnosed annually. There are four main types of this cancer known as blood cancers. They often develop in the bone marrow, cells and tissues associated with the formation of blood cells. They can be chronic, or slowly progressing, or acute, meaning there is rapid progression of the symptoms. Of all cancers, leukemia causes the death of more children younger than 20 years old, although they can affect children and adults alike.

Awareness proceeds prevention. Knowing the most common types of cancer afflicting the population should make you wary. The next step is for you to strive to prevent them occurring to you and to people you care for.

When there are misalignments of the spine or subluxations whether in adults or babies, the nerves that travel to all of the systems in the body are compromised due to the pressure in these nerves. What the chiropractor does is simply take the pressure or nerve stress off the spine so the proper functioning of all body organs may be restored.

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It is not a surprise for some uninformed people to fear taking their babies to the chiropractor for examination and treatment. Chiropractic care to some people invokes “snap, crackle and pop,” which is the stereotype description for the chiropractic adjustments. Adults who undergo chiropractic adjustments can indeed feel some pressure and cracks in their backs. However, chiropractors have completely different techniques when making adjustments for babies. The chiropractic professionals apply gentle pressure suited to the back and neck of the babies. You can see for yourself the relief this technique will bring to your baby as misalignments are corrected. Chiropractic adjustments for babies are so gentle, babies will hardly feel it. They will be relieved and relaxed upon the correction of misalignments in their bodies.

A veteran chiropractic doctor aptly describes the pressure applied to the back and neck of a baby for adjustments as equivalent to the pressure a consumer uses to check a tomato for ripeness. The reason why babies will cry during a chiropractic session is usually out of being startled at a stranger touching them and undergoing a new experience they are not familiar with.

Chiropractic care has been proven to be a more effective and safer option than using prescription drugs and antibiotics. Chiropractic care in babies can also bring about healthier babies as the treatment will support their nervous and digestive systems.

The most notable benefits to the babies who have received chiropractic care are:

Better sleep and sleeping patterns – Chiropractic care has been tested to be able to help give babies better sleep and better sleeping patterns.
Healthy brain development – Chiropractic care promotes nerve development and healthy brain. Spine adjustment is like resetting the baby’s nervous center.
Stronger immune system – Chiropractic care is the natural way to boost your babies’ immune system and drive away flu and colds, among other viral and bacterial infections.
Ease colic problems – Many cases of colic problems have been addressed with chiropractic care after every other means have been exhausted to little or no avail. The chiropractic adjustments in babies have also been proven in comparative studies to be significantly more effective than anti-gas medications.
Improved digestive functions – Poor digestion is one of the results if the infant has spinal subluxations and the function of the digestive system is compromised. Chiropractic adjustments will restore all of the baby’s body functions, including proper digestion.
Easier breathing – Symptoms of asthma, sinuses, allergies and stuffiness may all be lessened, if not cleared up, with chiropractic care.
Healing of ear infections and ear aches
Addressing feeding and breastfeeding issues

Countless cases of all these and many more issues with infants have been successfully and safely resolved with chiropractic care.

People of all age groups can benefit from the amazing results of chiropractic healthcare. Chiropractors are well trained and experienced in the treatment of babies, as they are with treating children, adults, and senior citizens.

Parenting and rearing children is difficult enough and stressful. The care for infants is a special challenge as babies are unable to communicate well, especially when they are in pain or have illnesses. Let the chiropractic doctors be your partners in alleviating the health conditions of your babies and make things easier for you in your important parenting roles.

Babies are most vulnerable to injuries because they are helpless by themselves and need all the attention and care from their parents and caregivers. Injuries to babies can be prevented when the adults who provide them care understand the most common sources of injuries in babies.

Statistics collected from the period 2001 to 2004 show that in the U.S. alone, about 1.3 million babies are sent to emergency department of hospitals for treatment of nonfatal accidental injuries yearly. These numbers from a national surveillance system from the initiatives of Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), are expected to be much higher at present.

Types of Babies’ Injuries

Here are the most common types of injuries of babies:

• Head injuries – They usually come from falls from beds, cribs, stairs, infant seats, highchairs, furniture, slippery floors and play equipment.
• Burns – These include accidental burn injuries from hot liquids, hot water heater, and bathwater with temperatures above 49 degrees Celsius,
• Injuries from choking – Common things that can cause choking are food, toys, coins, or other small objects.
• Nose injuries – These may often result from falling on a hard surface.
• Cuts and scratches – Your baby’s own fingernails as well as sharp and pointed objects may cause these injuries.
• Fractures and sprains – Hard falls are again a common culprit here. Babies’ bones tend to break more easily compared to adults; they have growth plates, which are soft areas near the end of each bone.
• Contusions – These are bruises under the skin, usually caused by bumps and falls.
• Eye injuries – Dust, chemicals in the form of liquid, spray or powder or other types of foreign matter that get into the baby’s eyes may cause eye injuries.

Causes of Babies’ Injuries

Based on the results of the same study by CDC and CPSC, the most common causes of infant injuries are:

• Falls – This is the leading cause of baby injuries. About 13% of all infant accidental injuries annually are from falls.
• Being hit, struck or crushed by a hard object – More than 3% of the injuries every year are from this group of causes. Vehicular or machine related accidents are not included in these types of causes.
• Fire or burns – This is third highest cause of baby injuries in terms of cases, although only 5% of the victims from this cause were hospitalized.

Though the incidence of injuries in babies from the following causes is less, they are just as dangerous:

• Drowning – About half of all victims from drowning were hospitalized.
• Suffocation or inhalation of toxic gas – 11% of babies who sustained injuries from these causes underwent hospitalization.
• Motor vehicle – 9.5% of babies who sustained injuries from motor vehicle accidents were hospitalized.
• Foreign body – Injuries from this cause hospitalized 9% of the babies who were affected.

Based on the figures on babies’ injuries and what cause them, the following things in the babies’ environment are considered most dangerous for them, so the babies should be watched more carefully when around them:

• Beds – Babies fall from, roll or slide off them. They are the top things linked to baby injuries up to 12 months old.
• Car seats – In injuries linked to car seats, babies either lurch out of them or the car seat falls with the baby.
• Stairs – It is among the top things linked to injuries to babies at every age.
• Stroller – A thing to watch out for, especially for two to four month old babies.

Parents and caregivers should ensure that the baby’s environment is as safe as possible to keep the baby injury-free. More than this, they should be aware of and anticipate the baby’s first year motor milestones and the risk of injury associated with them. This way, injuries to the baby will be better prevented.

Can Chiropractic Care Treat Baby Injuries?

Many parents fear chiropractic treatment for babies’ ill conditions and injuries, and this is not surprising. Since babies have soft bones and fragile structure, utmost care should really be observed. However, chiropractic care aims to simply take the pressure or nerve stress off the spine of an individual to restore proper function of all body organs – and this may be applicable to babies, toddlers, and children and perfectly safe for them too.

While not all baby injuries may be healed by chiropractic adjustment, there are some conditions that can be helpful in restoring the normal and healthy condition of babies, including muscle strains, head and neck injuries, and back pain, as well as other non-injury health conditions including colic problems, digestive problems, sleep irregularity, and breathing difficulties.